Spring-hinge



(Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' S. S. NILES.

SPRING HINGE.

N0.3'17`,410. Patented May 5,1885.

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2 she'etwsheet 2. S. S. NILES.

SPRING HINGE.

(Model.)

No. 317,410. Patented May 5, 1885.

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N. PETERS. Phoxoinhogmpmr. washingmn. D. t:A

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.a

SIDNEY S. NILES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,410, dated May 5,1885.

Application filed May 6, 1884. (Model.)

spring-hinges of the class in which the spring` is woundfrom one or the other of its ends according to the direction in which a door to which the hinge is applied is swung open from its normallyclosed position.

It also relates to rightandleft spring-hin ges for doors, operating upon the above said principle, and provided with adj Listing-screws arranged to constitute adjustable abutments,

f which can be adjusted so as to take up lost motion and cause the door, when closed, to come to a stop in proper position within its frame.

Broadlyconsidered, it is not new to construct i a hinge with a base or fastening plate provided vided with a pair of arms having eyes for the pintles, and arranged at right angles to the l faces of the plates, under which construction one arm of each plate is provided with a stop for holding' one end ot the spring while the spring is wound from its opposite end, whereby the arms of one pair necessarily interlock i and alternate 'with the arms of the remaining l leaf has constituted an adjustable abutment,

pair, which arrangement precludes the possibility of a swinging leaf, provided with end pintle has been provided with a collar concyes or knuckles, and with a casing for the spring intermediate of said knuckles, being mounted upon a pintle, so that its knuckles and casing for the spring shall bc confined between a pair of pintle-eyes upon a base or fastening plate.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicient right-and-left spring-hinge, in which a single bed or base4 plate adapted to be fitted in a mortise in the face of the jamb is provided with a pair of pntleeyes and a pair of xed stops at points between the said `pintle-eyes, and also in which the movable member or swinging leaf of the hinge, and the devices for alternately engaging the stopson the baseplate, so as to hold the spring at one end while it is being Wound at the other, are all mounted upon the pintle and arranged between the pintle-eyes, in which way the pintle-eyes shall, both prior and subsequent to the application of the hinge to a door, be maintained in direct opposition to and in alignment with each other, and also a simple and effective construction provided which will admit of compactness in the arrangement of the several members of the hinge, and which will insure certainty of action with but few operative members.

A further object of my invention is to avoid the complicated construction, the multiplicity of members, and the exposure of certain parts which heretofore have been involved in the construction of a sprin g-hin ge in which the movable member has been provided with adjustable abutment-screws for determining the position ofthe door when the hinge is in a state of equilibrium.

In a right-and-left spring-hinge, as heretol fore constructed, the hinge has been provided with a pair of pintles, one having a lug cxposed between one of the pintle-eyes and a knuckle at one end of the swinging leaf, for which said lug a screw passing through the while at the opposite end otthe hinge the nected with the spring and having a lug, and

the knuckle provided with an end projection standing parallel with the pintle and carrying 5 a screw has been arranged to constitute an The approved mode, there- 1 fore, of constructing right-and-left springV hinges has heretofore been to provide the the lug is necessarily left between the collar hinge with a pair of separate pintle-eyes, disadjustable abutment for the lug on the collar, in which way a space equal to the length of' and the knuckle. Under my invention, how- IOO -doo`r to be swung fully open.

Further objects are to provide certain nove ever, as will be hereinafter more fully ex plained, I' am enabled to ,dispense with the feature of a` pintle-lug and end projection on eitherknuckle of the swinging leaf, and to arrange the inner ends of the screws-forming adjustable abutments within the knuckles on the swinging leaf, which construction allows.-

the knuckles to have a uniform configuration and admits of the employment of a pair of narrow stop-rings, loosely mounted on the pintle and connected with the ends of the spring, which said stop-ringsset close upntotheknuck'- les, and can be alternately held by one of a pair of stops on a base-plate, 'according to the dif ing leftin consequence of the piiitle being-set` at such distancei'roni tliejanib as to allow the and improved features of combinationand construction in springhinges,'allas hereinafter fully 'described and pointed out inV the' claims, and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which'- Figure l is a perspective view of a rightand-leftl spring-hinge eonstruetedin accordance with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on a line indicated by the line 3 3', shown running through Figs. 1i. and 6. Figliis a transverse section. taken on a' line et 4, Fig. 3, and looking toward the end of the hinge; 'Fig'. 5 is a like section on linev 5. Fig. 6 is a like section on line 6 6. Fig. 7 is a like section'on'fline 7 7. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectionthrough the leat' on line 8 S. Fig. 9 shows' a radially-slotted disk reinovedvfroni the hinge, with the anti-friction rollers for supporting` the movable'member of the hingearrangedin the slots of the disk. Fig. l0 is-a perspective view of 011e ofthe stoprings. Fig. ll. shows a port-ion of the swing-l ing leafl Referring by letter to the several iignresof the annexed drawings,in which like letters denote= like parts, A designates an oblong and preferablyrectangular base or bed plate prol vided upon4 one side with a pair of eyes, B,

which constitute bearings for the pintle. These pintleeyes are both east inonc piece withithe bed-plate, and the latter is provided at its ends with perforations A for the fastening-screws by which the bed-plate/is seL cured to a door-jainb. The pi-ntle-eyes which are thus rigidly united with the bedplate preserve at all times 4'a iiXed relatioii'to each other, andhenceithepintle can be set so as-to circumstances.A l \C indicates the movable member. or swingingr-leaf of Jche hinge which is adapted t'o be attaclicd'to. and swung with the` door.

The g leaf is providedv at one end with a knuckle, Cf, and at its opposite end with a knuckle,`02, and it is further provided with a curved lip or edge portion, G3, arranged between the knuckles and adapted to form a partial casin g or housing for the spring.

Thepintle .D is mounted at its ends in the pintle-eyes on the bed-plate, and the hingeleaf is arranged between the pintle-eyes and 'mo'u'ntedupon the pintle, which passes through the knuckles on the leaf.

4The coiled spring E is arranged in the lionsin gfornied by the curved lip C, and surrounds the' middle portion of the pintle. The spring is connected at each end with one of a pair ot stop-rings looselyimonnted npon'the p'intle, one of which stop-rings serves to hold one end 'l of the. spring when the leaf is swung to the' right,'while the remaining stopring servesto hold the opposite end ofthe spring when the leaf is swung to the left. v

The stop-ring F is provided withv a slotted hub or neck, with which one end ofthe spring en gages, and is arranged to operate in a space. C5, formed between one of the knuckles and one endv ofthe curved lipvon the leaf. 1

The stop-ring Ff is,arranged to operate in a similar space, C, between the opposite end l of the curved lip and the remaining knuckle, and is connected with one end of the spring through the medium of a tension-adj ustin g 4ring G, loosely mounted upon the pintle and connected with the stop-ring by means of a key, G', fitting at one end in aperiplieral notch, F2, Fig. l0, in the stop-ring, and at its opposite end engaging in one of a series of peripheral notches, G2, with which the tension-adjusting ring is provided. This tension adjusting ring is arranged alongside the stop-ring andhas a slotted hub or neck, G3, with which an end of the. spring engages, in which way the tension of the. spring canbe varied by a rotary adjustment on the part ot' the tensionadjusting ring.

he bed-plate is provided upon its face side with a pair of lugs, H, one ot' whichis arranged under eacli'one of the stop-rings. These latter are-each-provided upon its periphery with a shoulder, I', which said shoulders facel in opposite directions, as will be seen by a comparison of Figs. 5 and 7, whereby when the leafis swung from its normal position the rotation of rone stopring shall be checked by reason of stops or :l ugs, H, on thebcd-plate, while the remaining stop-ring shall be free to turn with the swinging leaf, and conversely, lwhen the leaf is swungk from its normal position in an opposite direction, the inst-mentioned stopring will be free to turn with the leaf while the remaining stop-ring will be held :by reason of the contact ofits peripheral shoulder with work true andreasily inthe c ves iin-der 'all onefof the fixed lugs H. v 1 l The stop-rings are alternately engaged and operated by onefor the other of the knuckles ont-lic leaf, according t0 the direction iiiwhicli the latter is swung from its normal position,

itsslioulder I striking against one of the fixed lOO .IIO

so thatwlien the leaf is swung to the right the spring shall be wound up from one end,

, and, conversely, when the leaf is swung to the left, the spring shall be wound up from its opposite end. As a means for effecting this engagement of the knuckles with the stop-rings, these latter are each provided with an end stud, L, arranged parallel wit-h the axis of the pintle and projecting in a semi-annular slot or groove f'ormed in the inner end of a knuckle.

The knuckle C is provided with a semi-annular groove or opening, M, Fig. 4, and the knuckle C2 is provided with a semi-annular groove or opening, M, similar in conformation to the groove in the knuckle at the opposite' end ot' the hinge, and best illustrated in dotted lines, Fig. .6; These grooves are, however, formed in the knuckles so as to be respectively at opposite. sides of the spindle passing through the knuckles, as will be understood by a comparison of Figs. 4 and 6, inwhich way, when the leaf is swung so as to carryits knuckles round in the direct-ion indicated by the arrow 1, the spring will be held at one end and wound-up from its opposite end, since -when the leaf is swungin this direction, which, under the arrangement illustrated, will be to the left, the spring-tension ring and the stopring F connected therewith will be turned by reason of the engagement of knuckle C with.

the stud on the said stop-ring, during which operation the peripheral shoulder on the stopring F will leave the fixed stop lug H on-the bed-plate below the same, whilethe opposite stoprin g, F, connected with theA spring, will be checked against a rotary movement by reason of its peripheral shoulder engaging another fixed stoplug, H, formed on thebed-plate below said stop-rin g. And, conversely, when the leaf is swung to the right, so as to carry round its knuckles in the direction indicatedby ar row 2, the stop-ring F will be held stationary by reason of its peripheral shoulder engaging a fixed stop-lug, H, below the said ring, in which way the spring will be now held stationary at this end while it will be wound up from its opposite end by the stop-ring F, which is turned by the engagement of knuckle C2 with its stud L,the peripheral shoulder ofthe g stop-ring F in this instance leaving the fixed oted leat' is formed with a pair of knuckles stoplug below the said stop-ring.

ln a rightand-left hinge of this construction ithas been found desirable to provide adjustable abutments, by meansot' which the normal position ot the door when closed can be varied, so that should the entire hinge be nnevenly set, or the parts `become unevenly worn by use, the door can be made to stand closed in a proper position within the doorirame. My mode for providing such adjustable abutments consists in passing set oradjusting screws through opposite sides of the knuckles so as to vary the length of the slots or openings in the latter, which said screws constitute adjustable abutments or ends for these slots or openings, as follows: Ascrew, N, (best shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4), is iitted in hole formed through one side of the knuckle C and opening into and at one end of the the said knuckle. The knuckle is provided at this point with a peripheral enlargement, P, so as to provide a long bearing for the screw, and the end ofthe screw entering the opening M in the knuckle constitutes an abutfnient against which, when the hinge is in a state Aot equilibrium,the stud on the stop-ring rests. i

The knuckle 2 is also provided with a sim ilar peripheral enlargement, P, for the sake oi uniformity in the knuckles, or for affording a bearing for an adjusting-screw in case the relative position of the openings in the abutments are reversed. In this instance the screw h" (best shown in dotted lines, Fig. 6) passes through the knuckle C2 at a side opposite to that shown in Fig. 4, and enters the slot or opening M in said knuckle at one end of the said slot or opening, so as to provid-e an ailjustable abutment for the stud on the stop; ring F. It will be seen that, by reason ot' the union of the knuckle with the leaf', this screw will have a bearing quite equal to that provided for the screw carried by knuckle C. These screws can be readily adjusted from opposite sides of the hinge and have their heads countersunk in the knuckles, both for t-lie sake of neatness and to prevent them from striking the bed-plate when the leaf is swung at right angles to the position shown in the several -gures The peripheral enlargements ply tending to swell out the knuckles at the points where the screws enter the same, could of course be dispensed with, but in either caseA it will be seen that the screw passes through the knuckles at points intermediate of their ends, whereby the abutments are not lengthened at any one point, in which way each knuckle carries an adjusting or abutment screw, and is provided with a concealed slot or recess in its inner end, and each stop-ring is fitted closely up against the inner end of a knuckle, and has its end stud received and working within the end slot or recess in a knuckle. i

In a right and-left hinge in which the pivand a curved edge intermediate of' the knuckles and partially surrounding t-liespriug, the piutle or pintles passing through the knuckles distance from the base portions of the eyes as will allow the door to be swung fully open before striking the jamb at either side of the hinge, and, to allow the door to be swung besuch distance will necessitate a construction of hinge which will involve a considerable and objectionable space between the jamb und the movable part ofthe hinge when the door is in` a closed position. Under my present construction ot' hinge the bedplate, made convslot, groove, or opening, M, which is formed in P, whilefsiniyond a plane at a right angle t-o the doorway,-

IOO

IIS

must ot' necessity be set in the eyes at such tinuous from oneto the other of the pintlesition, I form the curved or hollow edge por-y tion U:s of. the leaf with an external swell, C4, FigjS, which runs longitudinallyl along the curved portion Ci from end to end thereof.

rlhis external longitudinal swell or enlargev nient serves to close such space as would otherwise exist between the bed-plate and the curved portion of the lip, it' the latter was made with its outer side on the arc ot' a circle. For the same purpose each knuckle has a peripheral enlargement or swell, C?, constitu ting a continuation ofthe swell of the curvededge portion C-L of the leaf, and each stop-rm g is preferablyv formed with a swell terminatin g abruptly in a shoulder, I, forming a tooth for engaging one-ot' the lugs on the bed-plate, although it will be obvious that an ordinary tooth-lug or projection on the periphery ofthe stop-ring would accomplish all ofthe desired results.

Between one of the -knuckles and such one ot' the pair of' pintle-eyes as will be the lower eye ofthe two when the hinge is applied to a door or gate, I arrange a set of small anti'- friction rollers, R, upon which the said `knuckle 1 will rest, in which way the movable portion of the hinge will-be supported upon anti-'friction rollers, and hence turn easily to the right or to the left, as the case may be. rEhese anti-friction rollers are conveniently arranged in a disk, S,

fitted upon the pintle, and arranged between l the knuckle and pintle-e-ye at the lower end of the hinge, said disk being provided with radially-arranged slots T, in each one ci which one of the anti-friction rollers is loosely fitted.

It will be observed that in ahingc construct- Q ed as herein shown the pintle-eyes, knuckles,

and stop-rings can all have their perimeters made iiush with one another.

It will be also observed that the pintle-eyes stand at right angles to the base-plate, and that the leatl or movable member of the hinge l is mounted between the two pintle-eyes. rIhis l leaf' is provided at each extreme end with a members necessan to a successfully-operating right-and-left spring-hinge in which but one 3 spring is employed.

Having described my inventiomwhat I clai m7 l and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a righ t-and-left spring-hinge, the movable leaf provided with a knuckle and an adjustable screw passing through the same, in 1 combination with a stop-ring provided with a stud on its upper surface, which enters the l knuckle, and held by thespring against the with a pair of' pintleeycs, and a pair of lugslocated between the said eyes, in combination with stop-rings connected with-.the springs and'm-ounted upon the pintle, said stop-rings being pro-vided with shoulders-for alternately engaging the lugs on the bed-plate, in the m anner set-forth.

The combination, in aA right-and-left spring-hinge, of a single pintle, with the movablev leaf provided with knuckles, through which the pintle passes, and a pair ot' stoprings, constructed substantially as described, and connected with the ends of the spring, said knuckles being provided with end recesses, and the stop-rin gs being provided with end studs extendin gin the recesses in the knuckles, substantially as described.

5. In a spring-hinge of the cha 1acter described, the swinging leal", provided with a curved-edge portion adapted to partially inclose the spring, and formed with an external longitudinal swell adapted to close the space back of the hinge when the door to which the hinge is applied is closed, substantially as (lescribed.

6. In a spring-hinge of the character dcscribed, the stop-rings, and the leat' provided with knuckles and with a curved-edge porl tion between said, knuckles, all provided with an external swell at a point which will close l up the space back of the hinge at a time when the door to which the hinge is attached is closed, substantially as described.

7. -In a right-and-left spring-hinge, the knuckles formed with the swinging lcat' and respectively provided with recesses M and M, in combinationwith the fixed studs H, and the stop-rin gs, each provided with a stud, L, entering a recess in one of the knuckles, and with a peripheral tooth, I, arranged in line with one ot' the said fixed studs, substantially as described.

S.A In la'spring-hinge, the bed-plate and a pair of pintle-eycs formed therewith, in combination with the spring, the stop-rings, and the movable leaf contined between the pintleeyes, substantially as described.

9. In a right and-left spring-hinge, the leat provided at each end with aknuckle and with tranvsersely-arranged openings at-points between the knnckles,in combination with the stoprings received in the openings in the leaf, the-.spring connected vwith the stop-rings, and A the pintle-eyeslocated beyond. the knuckles adjustable screw when the hinge is-in'a state IOO IIO

' engaged by the stoprings, substantially` in l and set at right angles to a bed-plate, subi and the stop-rings, all pivotally'mounted be zo stantially described. [tween tlie pintle-eyes, substantially as de- 10. The leaf provided with internally-re scribed.

cessed end knuckles and formed with a, 12. Inarightand-left springhinge,theob curved portion, C3, and spaces between the long bed-plate A, formed with pintle-eyes B, ends of the latter and the knuckles, in coinstanding at right angles to its face,in`coxnbi z5 bination with the Vstop-ringsFand F,eael1 p'rol nation with a single pintle journaled at its vided with a peripheral shoulder and an end 1 ends in the said eyes, the swinging leafC, stud, the spring'` connecting said stop rings l provided with a pair Vof knuckles, the stop with one another, thev pintle-eyes located at I rings F and F', and the tension-adjusting ring point-sopposite the ends of the leaf, and a f connected with one ofl the stoprings, all 3o mounted upon the single pintle and confined pair of xed stops located in position to be between 'the pintleeyes, substantially as dethe manner set forth. g scribed.

11. In a springhinge, the long` narrow bedl SIDNEY S. NILES. plate A, adapted to fit in a mortise in a doorl Witnesses jamb and provided with a pair of pintleeyes, i B, and a pair of lugs, H, located between said eyes, in combination with the swinging leafg W. W. ELLIOTT, GHAs. G. PAGE. 

